Breadcrumb

Bio
I am a glaciologist, geophysicist, and photographer.
My research is focused on glacier mechanics and dynamics, and particularly on the behavior of ocean-ending glaciers and glacier contributions to sea level. I have done field research for more than 30 years in glacier regions from Alaska to Antarctica to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. For about a decade starting in the late 1990s, I led the long-term study of Columbia Glacier, on Alaska’s South Central Coast, a research program started by glaciology pioneers Mark Meier (also an INSTAAR Director, from 1985 to 1994) and Austin Post. Columbia Glacier is one the world’s most extensively studied and most rapidly changing glaciers, and has been the source of many crucial insights about glacier-ocean interaction. I have served as an advisor to the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP), and was a Lead Author for Chapter 13 (Sea Level Change) in the IPCC Fifth Assessment/Working Group I (2010-2014). I also operate WT Pfeffer Geophysical Consultants, LLC, providing consulting modeling, analysis, and assessments on sea level rise and glacier-related hazards.
In addition to my scientific work, my photography has appeared in many publications in the US and Europe. I am the author of The Opening of a New Landscape: Columbia Glacier at Mid-Retreat, published by the American Geophysical Union in 2007. My most recent book, The Hand of the Small Town Builder, published by David R. Godine, was published in Spring 2014.
I also served as a 2015-16 Jefferson Science Fellow at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Washington, DC.
Education
- PhD: University of Washington, 1987
- MS: University of Maine, 1981
- BS: University of Vermont, 1976
Awards
- Jefferson Science Fellow, National Academy of Sciences, 2015
- Nye Lecture, American Geophysical Union, 2011
- University of Colorado Council on Research and Creative Work, Sabbatical Year Support, 2007
Research
Specialties
Glaciology, continuum mechanics, heat transfer, analysis and numerical methods.
Research interests
Sea level rise, hydrology, natural hazards, geophysical and architectural photogrammetry, science policy.
Publications
Recent publications
A High-End Estimate of Sea Level Rise for Practitioners
van de Wal RSW; Nicholls RJ; Behar D; McInnes K; Stammer D; Lowe JA; Church JA; DeConto R; Fettweis X; Goelzer H...
- van de Wal RSW
- Nicholls RJ
- Behar D
- McInnes K
- Stammer D
- Lowe JA
- Church JA
- DeConto R
- Fettweis X
- Goelzer H
Publication Date: 2022-11-01
Type: Journal Article
Rapid expansion of Greenland's low-permeability ice slabs
MacFerrin M; Machguth H; van As D; Charalampidis C; Stevens CM; Heilig A; Vandecrux B; Langen PL; Mottram R; Fettweis X...
- MacFerrin M
- Machguth H
- van As D
- Charalampidis C
- Stevens CM
- Heilig A
- Vandecrux B
- Langen PL
- Mottram R
- Fettweis X
Publication Date: 2019-09-19
Type: Journal Article
Editorial: Melt Water Retention Processes in Snow and Firn on Ice Sheets and Glaciers: Observations and Modeling
Publication Date: 2018-07-30
Type: Journal Article
Crossover scaling phenomena for glaciers and ice caps
Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Type: Journal Article
A review of volume-area scaling of glaciers
Publication Date: 2015-03-01
Type: Journal Article
GPR Profiles of Glacial Till and its Transition to Bedrock: Interpretation of Water Content, Depth and Signal Loss from Diffractions
Publication Date: 2014-12-01
Type: Journal Article
Comment on "Expert assessment of sea-level rise by AD 2100 and AD 2300", by Horton et al. (2014)
Publication Date: 2014-08-01
Type: Journal Article
Glacier volume estimation as an ill-posed inversion
Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Type: Journal Article
The Randolph Glacier Inventory: a globally complete inventory of glaciers
Pfeffer WT; Arendt AA; Bliss A; Bolch T; Cogley JG; Gardner AS; Hagen J-O; Hock R; Kaser G; Kienholz C...
- Pfeffer WT
- Arendt AA
- Bliss A
- Bolch T
- Cogley JG
- Gardner AS
- Hagen J-O
- Hock R
- Kaser G
- Kienholz C
Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Sea-Level Rise by 2100
Church JA; Clark PU; Cazenave A; Gregory JM; Jevrejeva S; Levermann A; Merrifield MA; Milne GA; Nerem RS; Nunn PD...
- Church JA
- Clark PU
- Cazenave A
- Gregory JM
- Jevrejeva S
- Levermann A
- Merrifield MA
- Milne GA
- Nerem RS
- Nunn PD
Publication Date: 2013-12-20
Type: Journal Article
Challenges to Understanding the Dynamic Response of Greenland's Marine Terminating Glaciers to Oceanic and Atmospheric Forcing
Straneo F; Heimbach P; Sergienko O; Hamilton G; Catania G; Griffies S; Hallberg R; Jenkins A; Joughin I; Motyka R...
- Straneo F
- Heimbach P
- Sergienko O
- Hamilton G
- Catania G
- Griffies S
- Hallberg R
- Jenkins A
- Joughin I
- Motyka R
Publication Date: 2013-08-01
Type: Journal Article
The Hand of the Small Town Builder
Type: Book
A Reconciled Estimate of Glacier Contributions to Sea Level Rise: 2003 to 2009
Gardner AS; Moholdt G; Cogley JG; Wouters B; Arendt AA; Wahr J; Berthier E; Hock R; Pfeffer WT; Kaser G...
- Gardner AS
- Moholdt G
- Cogley JG
- Wouters B
- Arendt AA
- Wahr J
- Berthier E
- Hock R
- Pfeffer WT
- Kaser G
Publication Date: 2013-05-17
Type: Journal Article
The Opening of a New Landscape
Type: Book
Mork F. Meier 1925 to 2012 In Memoriam
Publication Date: 2013-02-01
Type: Journal Article
Cameras as clocks
Publication Date: 2013-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Greenland ice-sheet contribution to sea-level rise buffered by meltwater storage in firn
Publication Date: 2012-11-08
Type: Journal Article
Recent contributions of glaciers and ice caps to sea level rise
Publication Date: 2012-02-23
Type: Journal Article
Georadar-derived estimates of firn density in the percolation zone, western Greenland ice sheet
Publication Date: 2012-01-25
Type: Journal Article
Thermal tracking of meltwater retention in Greenland's accumulation area
Publication Date: 2012-01-25
Type: Journal Article
Monte Carlo ice flow modeling projects a new stable configuration for Columbia Glacier, Alaska, c. 2020
Publication Date: 2012-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Glaciology needs to come out of the ivory tower
Publication Date: 2012-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Using surface velocities to calculate ice thickness and bed topography: a case study at Columbia Glacier, Alaska, USA
McNabb RW; Hock R; O'Neel S; Rasmussen LA; Ahn Y; Braun M; Conway H; Herreid S; Joughin I; Pfeffer WT...
- McNabb RW
- Hock R
- O'Neel S
- Rasmussen LA
- Ahn Y
- Braun M
- Conway H
- Herreid S
- Joughin I
- Pfeffer WT
Publication Date: 2012-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Sea-Level Rise for the Coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington: Past, Present, and Future
Type: Chapter
KILIMANJARO ICE CLIFF MONITORING WITH CLOSE RANGE PHOTOGRAMMETRY
Publication Date: 2012-01-01
Type: Journal Article
Pages
Teaching
Past courses
- CVEN 3698: Engineering Geology
- CVEN 4718/5718: Mechanics/Dynamics of Glaciers
- CVEN 5838: Mechanics/Dynamics of Landslides and Rockfalls
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Outreach
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